The Hustle (2019) or, Dirty Rotten Karens

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Two endeared stars look assertive in front of a gold-sprayed sports car on this hijinks-promising poster for Chris Addison's The Hustle

An Australian woman backpacker who is also a con artist meets her superior in a posh British con artist woman in Southern France. - Or is it the other way around?

 

The Hustle is written by Jac Schaeffer (Timer (2009)) and directed by debuting Chris Addison (Veep (2013-16)) . It is a remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), which was a remake of Bedtime Story (1964).

'The world is full of greedy idiots who deserve nothing but to be robbed blind' is pretty much the essence of the universe that's drawn up here. The Hustle is not an inferior film to the overrated predecessor starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin. The comedic speedometer is set at somewhere between 'totally ridiculous' and 'very coarse', and it isn't without a certain charm, especially because Rebel Wilson (How to Be Single (2016)) has comedic talent and acts as a blind person through much of The Hustle, which also has some good insults.

But the bright spots are regrettably labored with a wealth of unfunny costume scenes and low-brow idiocy.

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 21 mil. $

Box office: 97.4 mil. $

= Big hit (returned 4.63 times its cost)

[The Hustle was released 8 May (Philippines) and runs 94 minutes. Shooting took place from September 2017 - ? in London, UK and in Majorca, Spain. The film opened #3, behind holdover hit Avengers: Endgame and fellow new release Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, to a 13 mil. $ first weekend, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#5) and grossed 35.4 mil. $ (36.3 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Germany with 6.1 mil. $ (6.3 %) and Russia with 6 mil. $ (6.2 %). Addison has not returned with a feature since; instead he has directed for the show Breeders (2020-23) and is announced to return with feature Hallelujah!. Anne Hathaway (Get Smart (2008)) returned in Modern Love (2019, TV-series) and theatrically in Dark Waters (2019); Wilson in Jojo Rabbit (2019). The Hustle is rotten at 13 % with a 3.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of The Hustle? 

Pitch Perfect (2012) - Genuinely funny crowd-pleaser

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A group of young women wearing sunglasses while posing makes up this poster for Jason Moore's Pitch Perfect

Beca begins college but has to pull tight to fit into life there, which for her becomes through the companionship found in a cappella group The Bellas, which - along with the campus' male group the Treblemakers, - compete for national victory!

 

Pitch Perfect is written by Kay Cannon (Let It Snow (2019)), based on Michael Rapkin's same-titled 2008 book, and directed by great debuting Arkansan filmmaker Jason Moore (Tales of the City (2021)).

The film is a party that arrives as a cinematic answer to television's seemingly endless, highly popular talent shows of the post-millennial era - as well as TV series sensation Glee (2009-15). Anna Kendrick's (Noelle (2019)) charm and natural sweetness is a major plus, and Pitch Perfect also becomes a springboard for funny, unembarrassed Rebel Wilson (The Hustle (2019)), sweet Skylar Astin (Ghosts of War (2020)) and foolish Adam Devine (Jexi (2019)). - And Elizabeth Banks (Charlie's Angels (2019)), who also co-produced, and John Michael Higgins (Licorice Pizza (2021)) are a welcome - and often hilarious - element as ex a cappella performers who are now a cappella contest commentators. 

Pitch Perfect is not perfect in any way, - but it sparkles with energy and is both funny, romantic and fresh. It is among the most delightful favorites of 2012.

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: 17 mil. $

Box office: 115.6 mil. $

= Huge hit (returned 6.8 times its cost)

[Pitch Perfect opened 28 September (North America) and runs 112 minutes. Wilson was paid 65k $ for her performance in the film. Shooting took place around October 2011 in Louisiana. The film opened #6 to a 5.1 mil. $ weekend in North America, spending the next weekend at #3, its only in the top 5, grossing 65 mil. $ (56.2 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Australia with 13 mil. $ (11.2 %) and Germany with 10.1 mil. $ (8.7 %). Roger Ebert gave it a 2/4 star review, translating to 3 notches under this one. Two sequels followed, Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) and Pitch Perfect 3 (2017). Moore returned with Trophy Wives (2013-14) and theatrically with Sisters (2015). Kendrick returned in Drinking Buddies (2013). Pitch Perfect is certified fresh at 82 % with a 6.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Pitch Perfect?

Bachelorette (2012) - Headland's unfunny raunch comedy debut

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+ 2nd Worst Movie of the Year

Andrew Rannells (Girls (2012-17)) is the stripper who delights the girls here on a poster for Leslye Headland's Bachelorette

A high school clique of four girls gather in New York as grown women, when one of them is getting married, but the coming bride is soon made ill by her dishonest friends, who also accidentally ruin her dress.

Bachelorette is written and directed by debuting Leslye Headland (Sleeping with Other People (2015)), adapting her own same-titled play. Headland wants it to be the youth comedy of a new era, but its overstrung characters are about as sympathetic as hemorrhoids, - but what is worse is that they are not funny, either.
Self-centered they swish around a plot that consists of the torn, abused dress with lavish doses of sex talk and drugs, apparently following the credo that anything that is raunchy in any way is also funny.
That credo is put to shame here, as Bachelorette effectively disproves it. The film is downright agonizing to sit through. What Kirsten Dunst (Marie Antoinette (2006)) is doing in this solid turkey, so far beneath her talent, is one of the despairing questions it leaves in its wake.
The best thing to be noted about Bachelorette is its relatively short length.

Related post:

2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED V]
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 3 mil. $
Box office: 11.9 mil. $
= Big hit
[Bachelorette premiered 23 January (Sundance) and runs 87 minutes. Shooting took place in New York on an admirably, relatively low budget. The film opened #35 to a 181k $ first weekend in 47 theaters, its peak position (topping in 60 theaters though) in North America, where it grossed tiny 447k $ (3.8 % of the total gross). The 3 biggest markets were Australia (Rebel Wilson's home country) with 2.7 mil. $ (22.7 %), Italy with 2.2 mil. $ (18.5 %) and France with 1.1 mil. $ (9.2 %). The film made an additional 8 mil. $ on VoD (probably solely from North America, making up for the weak theatrical performance there), which, if added to the theatrical gross, would make change the film's status to 'huge hit'. Headland followed it up with Sleeping with Other People (2015). Bachelorette is rotten at 56 % with a 5.5 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Bachelorette?